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In drought-stricken California, golf is often seen as a bad guy — it can be hard to defend watering acres of grass for fun when residents are being ordered to cut their usage and farmers are draining their wells.

But golf is a $6 billion industry in the state and employs nearly 130,000 workers, according to the California Golf Course Owners Association. So while the greens are staying green, some golf courses are saving every drop of water they can.

Stephen Friedlander, vice president of golf at The Resort At Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, just south of Los Angeles, says, "When people say, 'Well, that golf course is watering their grass,' if they are talking about Pelican Hill, yes we are, and we're using reclaimed water. And we're using reclaimed water in a very specific, measured way."

A lot of golf courses use recycled or reclaimed water, but Friedlander says Pelican Hill is different.

"We're here at the practice facility at Pelican Hill golf club. We're looking at a large, 10 acres worth of land that's mostly warm season Bermuda grass," he says.

That grass was chosen because it needs less water, and doesn't grow as quickly. And in the non-playing areas, the course uses native bushes that use no water.

That said, the course is as swanky and fancy as it gets, and Friedlander says the players laying out more than $300 for a round shouldn't notice any differences in the greens and the fairways. The key is the irrigation system. Courses managers can monitor and control irrigation from their smartphones.

"You can water specific areas of the golf course without watering other specific areas," Friedlander says. "We can isolate each head, so instead of turning on 50 heads, and overwatering an area that doesn't need water, we can turn on one head and water one area that might need water."

Pelican Hill says it saves 50 million gallons of water each year — recycled water, mind you. There is something else that makes Pelican Hill special: rainwater.

"We want to capture every bit of rainfall we can. One, it's cheaper and two, it's a very high-quality water," says Sat Tamaribuchi, who helped design the course's conservation system.

Any rain that falls on the buildings, pavement and cart paths goes into one of the course reservoirs — which form the major water features on the course. And underground, there are giant cisterns that hold millions of gallons of runoff water from the course.

"As it turns out, because our cistern system and the lake systems are so large, ever since the work was done, no storm water has left the golf course, essentially," Tamaribuchi says.

Golf pro Steve Friedlander admits that a golf course in a wealthy town like Newport Coast has a real incentive to save water, but he says it's not just a California problem.

"If you're in the golf industry and you're not a water quality and a management person, then what are you doing?" Friedlander asks.

Which means, Friedlander says, that golfers shouldn't have to feel bad about hitting a few balls — or at least trying to.

Upcoming Events

Help Kansas Public Radio show listener appreciation in a cool way with FREE Hy-Vee ice cream and Alchemy iced coffee.

Stop by the Union Pacific Depot in Lawrence between 5 and 7 p.m., on Thursday, June 20, to meet some KPR personalities and mingle with fellow listeners. Enjoy extra family-friendly activities with face painting from Fairy Fox Design, a busker performance from Richard Renner and music from Retro Cocktail Hour host, Darrell Brogdon.

The first 200 KPR members will get their ice cream in a new KPR mug! You can also bring your own mug, which we'll be happy to fill ﻿(biodegradable cups also provided).

Description: Bring the whole family and spend quality time with your favorite farmyard friends. Presented by Stable T. Farms. Stable T Farms will be at the branch from 10:30am-12:30pm to ensure every family gets a visit. For all ages. Submitted by: Sheila Blue Springs North Branch - Mid-Continent Public Library

Description: Join us this Memorial Day for a family-friendly event that supports Family Promise of Lawrence, a nonprofit serving local families experiencing homelessness. This is a fast, certified course. First-time racers, joggers, walkers, strollers and dogs on leash are welcome. Medals will be awarded to age group finishers as well as overall and master's winners. All participants will receive a race T-shirt. Register by May 1 for $25; $30 after May 1. Teams of four or more receive $5 discount/person. Register at https://www.active.com/lawrence-ks/running/distance-running-races/5k-hom.... Music, bounce houses and other children's activities on-site. Submitted by: Kristin Montgomery Family Promise of Lawrence